CongressCongress

How It Works

Legislative Process

Legislative Process

Legislative Process

Parties and Caucuses

Legislative Process

Committees and Staff

Legislative Process❖ Importance of Committees

❖ Seniority System within Committees

❖ Role of Staff

❖ Conference Committee

❖ Veto

❖ Veto Overrides

❖ Pocket Vetoes

Legislative ProcessMultiple Referrals

Committees

Staff Agencies

Legislative ProcessCommittees

Legislative Process

Getting it out of committee

Legislative ProcessBypass Committee (discharge petitions)

Once out of committee...

Type of Resolutions

Floor Debate

Floor Debate

Floor Debate

Filibuster• Remember the senate is run by politics even if the terminology is of “laws, rules, procedures.”

Define cloture• Why has the threat of filibuster increased in the past 25 years?

1) 1960s - value of time - Senators decided threat was good enough

2) more polarization

Filibuster

•How does a quorum call affect the chance of a filibuster?

• What does the Sgt. At Arms do?

1988 Campaign finance reform - D Byrd - quorum - R Packwood bars the door.

Filibuster

•Do you think a filibuster encourages bipartisanship or polarization?

Filibuster

•They can change the rules. Why don’t they change the procedure rules of filibuster?

1) 1st rule change is no filibuster on a rule change2) constitutional mandate overrides3) why not Senator Harkin’s gradual thresh hold? 60-57-54-51

Legislative ProcessMore Filibusters

Legislative ProcessPolarization

Legislative ProcessFewer Moderates in the House

Methods of Voting

Voting

Clean Air Act as an example of the

legislative process

Legislative ProcessCase Study- Clean Air

Act